Season 2, Episode 5: Behind every summer is a community that keeps Fire Island alive. This episode explores the history of the beloved Pines Pantry through the eyes of its iconic Pantry Girls, alongside the volunteer firefighters of The Pines and Cherry Grove who protect the island from fires, hurricanes, beach erosion, and an uncertain future.
WORKING CLASS CLOWN Opens This May
Working Class Clown runs from 1 - 3 May 2024 at the White Bay Power Station.
By: Stephi Wild
Working Class Clown is a new site-specific one-person-play by Queer Fa’afafine performance artist and playwright Tommy Misa, on the transcultural figure of the ‘town fool’ and their unique ability to speak truth to power. The show takes inspiration from the Samoan political satire tradition of Fale Aitu, where clowns are possessed by spirits known as Aitu, thereby conferring the spiritual authority to take the piss out of the powers that be. As one of the flagship performance works in this year's Biennale, Working Class Clown is situated in a unique space to engage with community with Misa’s trademark irreverence and sense of play.
Drawing on the working class history and architecture of the recently refurbished White Bay Power Station where this play will premiere, the messy political drag of Sydney’s yesteryear, and the tongue-in-cheek wisdom of Tommy’s late father Mefiposeta, the show honours those who entertain and riot in the everyday workplace, home place, school, and the back seats of the rowdy bus network.
Misa brings this work to life off the back of their critically acclaimed They Took me to a Queer Bar at the Old Fitz, which premiered in 2022 and received a return season in 2023. They are supported in the creation of this work by regular collaborators and Sydney art and fashion powerhouses Emma Maye Gibson (Betty Grumble), Jonny Seymour (Stereogamous), and Katie-Louise and Lillian Nicol-Ford of demi-couture fashion label, Nicol&Ford.
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